Ozone Hole Expands
The European Ozone Research Coordinating Unit announced that the
current bitter chill blanketing much of the continent and areas to
the north has accelerated the thinning of the protective ozone
layer over the Arctic.
Ozone Hole Expands
The European Ozone Research Coordinating Unit announced that the current bitter chill blanketing much of the continent and areas to the north has accelerated the thinning of the protective ozone layer over the Arctic. It warned that further cooling of the atmosphere above the Arctic region could result in “large-scale losses” of the ozone layer, which could increase the damaging ultraviolet rays from the sun. A statement by the research group said: “The meteorological conditions we are now witnessing resemble and even surpass the conditions of the 1999-2000 winter, when the worst ozone loss to date was observed.”
Cyclone Aftermath
Late reports from Madagascar say that at least 15 people were killed and another 11,000 were displaced by floods and high winds produced by Tropical Cyclone Ernest during the previous week. The U.N. World Food Program announced it would send emergency supplies to help those affected in southern coastal areas. The bodies of 14 fishermen were recovered around Tsihombe and Ambovombe, where 56 people were reported missing. Another 83 were missing in Tulear.
Uruguay Firestorm
A dry summer coupled with hot and windy conditions in parts of Uruguay sparked a wildfire that forced the evacuation of 15,000 people. The blazes were so intense that firefighters from neighboring Brazil were called in to contain the fire lines. Fire destroyed 60 homes and charred 3,700 acres of forest around the ocean resort of Punta del Diablo.
Volcanoes
The Alaska Volcano Observator says it is monitoring two volcanoes that could send dangerous clouds of ash into the sky. Mount Spurr, 80 miles west of Anchorage, has been producing small tremors almost daily after 12 years of repose. Mount Veniaminof, on the Alaska Peninsula, was designated as “in eruption,” and threatened to produce a large blowout.
n Scores of people have become ill on Guam due to haze and ash from an erupting volcano on a neighboring island of the Northern Mariana chain. Most complained of respiratory problems and headaches. Prevailing winds have transported the volcanic debris from a continuously erupting volcano on Anatahan.
Deadly Afghan Chill
The harshest Afghan winter in several years has brought welcome snowfall after many seasons of drought, but is also creating deadly conditions for motorists and former refugees who returned to live in makeshift shelters. Six people, including four children, died from hypothermia at a camp housing returnees in Kabul. Three motorists died of exposure after abandoning their vehicle in a blinding snowstorm between Kabul and Kandahar.
Australian Tempest
Freak storms ravaged a large swath of southeastern Australia, killing one person and producing record rainfall. Melbourne was brought to a standstill by severe weather, and flash flooding accompanied the heaviest rainfall since records began in 1856. The front also gave the city its coldest February temperature on record, and brought summertime snow to mountain resorts to the northeast. High winds, hail and torrential rain later struck metropolitan Sydney, killing a 16-year-old girl. Brisbane was then hit by a towering dust storm that darkened the skies of the Queensland capital.
Earthquakes
Almost daily aftershocks continue to rock India’s Andaman Islands and northwest Sumatra more than a month after the initial quake and resulting tsunami devastated a wide area. The ongoing tremors cause buildings to groan and foundations to shake, keeping survivors on edge.
n Several people on Java were injured when a magnitude 5.6 tremor damaged buildings on the Indonesian island.
n Earth movements were also felt in northern and northeastern Japan, Taiwan, the Northern Mariana Islands, New Zealand’s North Island, western Greece, Iran’s Bam aftershock zone, southern Turkey and southeastern Spain.
Elephant Terror
Five villages in eastern Kenya have been put in a state of siege by almost 200 elephants that have left a trail of destruction in their search for food and water. The Standard reports that the situation has been made more acute by the destruction of crops and killing of livestock by the forest animals. Fearful residents say they must remain indoors from late afternoon through the night to keep from being targets of elephant attack. The rampages are believed to be due to poor rainfall, which has also caused crop failures for thousands of farmers in Kenya’s Coast Province.
– Steve Newman
